You know the vacation isn’t going to go well when the hotel, amusement park and bar look like ones you’d ignore under other circumstances.
But that’s what Bob Odenkirk deals his family in “Nobody 2,” a summer getaway that manages to turn those faults into strengths when a high-level (think: big money) cartel comes calling.
Following up on the 2021 drama about a mad dad, the sequel suggests they might get the kind of vacation Odenkirk’s Hutch Mansell enjoyed as a kid. Once they arrive, the place looks more than dated and features a bunch of short-fused locals who aren’t afraid to shut the door on hospitality.
Fights ensue and then there’s word that the big dog is on her way. Interesting, but what in the world is Sharon Stone doing at a low-rent amusement park with an army of thugs?
Apparently, she’s evening a score with Mansell, a former assassin who just wants to have a quiet vacation with his family.
In “Nobody 2,” the disconnect doesn’t quite make sense. Still, that doesn’t stop director Timo Tjahjanto from staging an elaborate series of stunts designed to thwart the bad guys. Like Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, there’s an explosion at every turn and a world of assassins that few at this Wisconsin Dells-like place ever imagined.
While Hutch tried to end his secret job after the first film, he certainly goes all out in this one, enlisting dad (Christopher Lloyd), his brother (RZA) and others to make it a memorable stay.
To its credit, “Nobody 2” is short and doesn’t feature much conversation: Set ‘em up, knock ‘em down. How these folks rig waterslides, duck boats and other amusement park attractions is largely what makes this fun.
Odenkirk gets good use of his stunt double and Stone looks like she wandered in from another movie. She’s very much “Basic Instinct,” while “Nobody 2” is one step below “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”
Connie Nielsen has a couple of good moments as Odenkirk’s wife, but Colin Hanks, as a lawman, is hardly in this long enough to merit the low angles and angry scowls.
Far better are the other locals who hardly seem ready to roll out the welcome mat.
Like Liam Neeson and Keanu Reeves, Odenkirk doesn’t have to memorize long pages of dialogue to see it through. He just swings into action and, before you know it, the family is ready for dinner at the local watering hole.
"Nobody 2" is a good enough action film. But if the producers really wanted to test his mettle, they’d send their leading man to one of the Disney parks. There, you can’t get away with anything.
